With the help of a 28-liter truck, the rolled-up calligraphy and paintings don't take up much space, and it's no problem to carry them on your back after tying them up with leather.
But that doesn't mean you can take your pair of porcelain back home safely. Even though you've carefully selected the smallest one, they're still fragile, right?
Fortunately, before coming, Zhang Guoqing had enough equipment in the bag he was carrying, including black cloth bags and thin ropes. As long as he tied himself up carefully, it would not be a problem to carry it on his back.
The only regret is that these two 28-bar bicycles are not only useless, but I also have to free my hands to push them away.
We were slow in finding the right place when we came here, so we couldn't walk fast when we walked.
The most annoying thing was that not only was the car's stop so far away, but the two brothers had to take a detour to avoid being followed.
After walking for more than half an hour, Yi Jiefang finally heard his buddy say the all-clear. He couldn't help but sigh, "What do you think we're trying to achieve?"
Zhang Guoqing grinned: "Just think of it as reliving those years."
Back then, he and this guy would rush to various black markets at the end of every year. Not only was it easy to make money, but there were also a lot of good stuff.
"Hey." Yi Jiefang's eyes lit up when he heard him say that. "You know what? It's almost rusted after not being used for so many years. Should we go to the black market again?"
"What a playful spirit!"
"There's no other way. If we don't play, we'll really get old. Xiaowu, every time you see the children grow up, do you feel old yourself?"
Zhang Guoqing suddenly chuckled.
"I often think of my school days now. Life was so carefree back then. Besides attending classes, I played ball games, watched movies, got up in the middle of the night to steal cabbages, learned farming techniques and stole melons. I could go wherever I wanted..."
Zhang Guoqing shook his head with a smile.
When I recall the past, I always think of the happy moments, but I forget the back pain I suffered when I was learning agriculture, and the most difficult years when I didn’t even dare to cook any meat.
"When we first graduated, we made an appointment to have a five-year reunion. Over the years, only a few old classmates in Beijing have gotten together. I wonder how many people will come this year?"
"I don't think so. A few of them are still at the Northwest Research Institute and probably can't leave. But some of my old classmates from nearby provinces and cities might actually come."
We chatted and laughed all the way, and it was almost dawn when we arrived at the car stop.
Yi Jiefang didn't go to pick up his daughter, and went straight home after returning to the compound.
His little Tang'er has a special room at her godmother's house, and usually stays there for one night a month. Her life there is better than at home.
On the balcony upstairs, Zhou Jiao was alone, absent-mindedly flipping through a book. If her father hadn't been worried about her being downstairs and not wanting to accompany her, she would have wanted to go to the front door.
Zhou Jiao didn't need very good hearing to easily hear the noise of cars coming from far away in the early morning. After waiting for a while, her husband came in carrying something.
"Is Xiaowu back?"
"Dad, you haven't rested yet?"
"I just got out of bed to go to the bathroom. Go to sleep now, you have to go to work tomorrow."
At the stairs to the second floor, Zhou Jiao smiled when she heard that.
When Zhang Guoqing went upstairs, he saw his young wife squatting there, smiling like a little fox. He raised his eyebrows, walked lightly, and took a few steps up the stairs.
The couple walked into the bedroom hand in hand quietly.
"Little girl, are you staying at home tonight?"
Zhou Jiao shook her head with a smile, "More than an hour after you left, her mother waited at home for a long time, worried about the father and son, so she came over."
"Dayi is a good daughter-in-law. It's not good for a girl to live outside when she grows up. Although our son is not at home, it is not convenient. I think mother likes the little girl very much and has given her a lot of things, right?"
Zhou Jiao poured a cup of warm water and handed it to him, "No, just a skirt, and added some candies. She knew that if the child had a connection with Liuyi in the future, she couldn't spoil the child."
Zhang Guoqing took a sip of water and nodded in agreement, "I still prefer to marry Dayi, but there's no rush. My son's lifelong happiness is more important."
Zhou Jiao smiled, squatted down and opened the package on the ground, "What took you so long? It must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Zhang Guoqing patiently explained, "It's too far away. If we don't have a car, we'll have to come back at dawn. They offered us 100 yuan, and we didn't bargain. We each gave them 100 yuan and left."
"That's right. If you keep getting entangled for too long, it will be easy to be exposed."
Zhang Guoqing put down his cup, squatted beside her, and chuckled, "I've noticed that there are three groups of people, including Dayi and me. The other party secretly plans to clear them all out before tomorrow night."
"Didn't you tell Dayi?"
"It's hard to explain. I can't just say, buddy, your brother's hearing is so good that he can hear everything happening within a ten-mile radius. But there's a father and son who are capable people. I saw the old man pointing at a calligraphy and painting and hinting to his son that he doesn't want it. It's a pity that you didn't go there, so we can't understand it either. You should check whether it's real or fake first."
Zhou Jiao chuckled when she heard that, glanced at him with amusement, and lowered her head to pick up the porcelain vase.
The bottle wasn't big, only about 20 to 30 centimeters tall. After Zhou Jiao placed the bottle on the table, she shone her flashlight around it, touched it with her hand, and then turned it over.
There were two lines of inscriptions below: "Made in the Chenghua Period of the Ming Dynasty." When Zhou Jiao read these two lines of words, she took out a magnifying glass from her space and looked at it for a long time.
"It should be true, right?"
Zhou Jiao nodded approvingly.
"Actually, I don't need to tell them apart. The two pairs of porcelains are placed in the corner, with a torn quilt underneath. Compared to the other messy things, I think they are real. It's a pity that I can't tell the age."
Zhou Jiao had been thinking of mentioning some identification features, but as soon as she finished speaking, she dropped the subject. Although her husband wasn't good at identifying antiques, his eyesight was truly top-notch.
Just like her mother, Miao Lishan. If she were to go shopping tonight, she would pick the most expensive one. Even though it might be a bit of a loss, it would still be the real thing, right?
Of course, this is because the current location is different, and it is also related to the fact that there are fewer counterfeits on the market.
However, Zhou Jiao soon felt slapped in the face.
Two out of ten paintings are fake. Of course, they cannot be said to be authentic, but rather imitations made by later generations, which can be considered masterpieces after a few decades.
Zhang Guoqing smiled nonchalantly, "As long as I don't lose a hundred bucks, it's fine. I'm just treating it as a hobby anyway, and I'll leave it to my grandchildren."
Zhou Jiao didn't pour cold water on him after hearing this. You know, the calligraphy and paintings in the antique shops nowadays, except for the extremely precious ones, are generally only ten yuan a pair.
"Have you seen the calligraphy and painting on Dayi's hands?" One hundred yuan is nothing to her family, but it is different for Dayi. His wife's salary is only more than 70 yuan.
Zhang Guoqing understood what she meant and explained with a smile, "That guy wants to buy the yard, so don't worry. It's dark out, and we didn't choose. We agreed to each get ten pairs and it's up to luck."
Besides, Yi Jiefang is not a petty person. Even if they are all fakes, that guy will at most complain to him. Otherwise, he would not bring him out.
Although one hundred yuan is a lot, that guy is also a rich man.
Even though he and Wan Dayong loved their wives, how could they compare to him? Besides handing over their wages, they also had plenty of private money.
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